The Origin
by Twilight of Grace
Summary: [Hero's could never be if it were not for those who came before] Long before the game even began, Link was a small baby, born to a young couple. A tale of how Link came to be under the care of the Kokiri. oneshotOld English Fixed [Twilight To Dawn]


Note: I do not own the Legend of Zelda, cause if I did, Link would have had a mature game long ago, though I can't argue with the genius of Shigeru Miyamato either. Any who, this fic is about Link's mother, not Link. I created Link's father, so I got right to him at least. This fic is how Link came to be a Kokiri, and if I change something that someone thinks shouldn't be changed, let me know, I haven't played the game in a long time.

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How could such a peaceful day turn out so badly? It had been just like any other day at Hyrule castle. Josephine and Randall were sitting near the small pool in the inner courtyard of the castle when the alarm went off. The loud ringing bell most likely warned of the uprising that had long been expected.

"Well Josy, I must be goin' now...," Randall called Josephine by her nickname and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek followed by a quick embrace. "Don't worry for me, I shall be fine! Just you make sure to take care o' the the little one as well as yourself." Randall rubbed his newborn son's head and ran off toward the armory.

Josephine let out a long sigh. It wasn't easy for her and young Link, Randall was often called off to duty and hardly had any time to spend with either of them. She knew he cared because he was constantly sacrificing to save a woman that shouldn't have been saved in the first place. He never stopped trying to make Josephine feel special, even though no one understood how he could have taken her in.

She looked down at her son as she walked toward their home, a small village of guards located near the castle gates, but not next to the town. Link had his mother's eyes, but his father's face. He appeared a strong young man with deep blue eyes that whisked you off into eternity. Even the Queen herself had come to admire the boy.

Arriving home, Josephine set about preparing dinner. She wanted everything to be perfect once Randall arrived. It had been a fortnight since they had been able to sleep in the same home, let alone eat a meal together. The rebel military had increased its attacks of late, so he was often away on duty. She hoped that he would be able to be home for dinner, if not for her sake than for their son's. She didn't want him to grow up not knowing his father as she had done.

She had been a beggar on the streets, until a passing knight caught site of her beauty. She was 17 then, old enough to have developed, but she had never been with a man. She had not turned to prostitution as many of the other girls on her street had. She had hoped to remain pure until the one person who made her life better came along.

When she refused to accompany the knight to his quarters, the knight grew uproarious, drawing a small crowd. Many of the shopkeepers came to watch the spectacle. Fighting was common in these days, but the crowds never seemed to get enough. She was soon surrounded, unable to escape. The knight pulled out his sword, and placed it upon her throat. He gave her two choices: Come with him and be his whore, or die like a dog in the streets she had grown up in. Fearful of dying, she agreed, and the knight placed her upon his horse and rode her off to the castle.

Once they arrived, Josephine was taken to the knight's quarters, and commanded to wait while he fetched more wine. She took the opportunity to grab a nearby vase and took refuge behind the door. When he came back into the room, Josephine broke the vase over the knight's head, knocking him out cold. She fled his quarters, making her way towards the local guards' shacks. She had no idea of where she was going, or what she intended to do, but she knew she had to get away from that castle.

Randall, a local guard, looked out of his window in amazement at the beauty that had found its way to his window. She was no taller than an average woman, but she had the face of a goddess. She had light red cheeks with large luscious lips. Her eyes were a deep blue, and drug him down into a never-ending paradise. As he watched, she collapsed at the door. He was quickly on his feet and rushed outside to attend to her. He scooped her up in his arms and brought her into his small home. Randall laid her on his bed, and her beautiful eyes fluttered open.

""By what name do you go, sir?" she questioned him, fear prevailing through her eyes.

"My name be Randall Vorsheen, good lady. I found you fainted upon my threshold and took the liberty of assuming you wouldn't mind a bit o' a helpin' hand." She smiled at him weakly, and then closed her eyes once more. Randall rushed to get her a blanket and pillow. He rested her head upon it, and he elevated her to a position that she could eat something from.

"Would you like a bit o' supp'?" As her eyes opened once more he waved a small portion of soup in front of her. She quickly accepted, ingesting the entire thing within seconds. Afterward though, she looked somewhat frightened.

"Will you be returnin' me to yond' knight who lusted for me?" Randall gave her a strange look and then started to laugh. "What is it that the good sir finds so amusin'?" she said with a little bit of indignation.

"It just be amusin' that I'm holdin' Sir Cristoph's newest mistress. Certainly, I shall be punished." Randall continued to laugh, until Josephine asked him her next question.

"You speak as though you do not plan to turn me in... Why...?"

"Because those of the Knighthood no longer hold the great powers they once did, and the ways o' chilvary be long dead. Plus, I admit that I cannot bear to see that bloated pig steal yet another beautiful maiden such as yourself! Are you with child, fair lady?"

"I have not everlain with a man, and you ask me if I be carryin' child?" Josephine looked at him in shock. "Wouldst you be trying to imply that I am fat? Or are you merely blind?"

"My dear lady, I meant no offense, I assure you." It was Randall's turn to be in shock. "Please, I only assumed that Sir Cristoph, the...fiend...that he had already bedded you. My deepest apologies, and no, I do not believe you fat. I would even go so far as to say that you are quite the loveliest creature my worthless eyes have ever been graced to see. May I ask you name?"

Josephine stared deep into his eyes. This man had shown her genuine kindness, something she had never received on the street. Perhaps this was the man she had been hoping for.

"My name is...it is Josephine. My family's name I'm afraid I know not. My father was a drunkard, and I'm told my mother died delivering me in a shelter..."

"The sorrow I feel for you is immense, my poor lady. I wonder...perhaps you would wish to stay here under my protection, instead of returning to that brigand?" With a nod of her head, Josephine agreed to stay, and would later married Randall. Sir Christoph died from blood clotting in his brain after the blow that Josephine dealt him, so they never had to worry about him attempting to take Josephine back.

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Josephine finished setting the table and placed the stew upon the fire As it began to cook, Josephine turned her eyes toward Link. He was playing near the window with a toy his father had made him. It was a small rattle, nothing more than a stick with a leather ball filled with seeds. Their family wasn't the richest, but they were happy, and Josephine was glad to have more than she ever had on the streets. It didn't even affect her to be in poverty, the wife of a guard. Link was growing very rapidly. He was strong for his age, and tried to follow his father everywhere that he went. He had even tried to grab his father's sword once. Josephine had given Randall such a tongue lashing that he had found a safe hiding place for it, up out of reach of the child. She let out a little giggle at the memory of this.

Josephine walked over to Link and picked him up, cradling him in her arms. He was not a very heavy baby. As she held him in her arms, he let out a small yawn. Josephine smiled, and then yawned back. She stared out at the sunset now dropping just over the horizon. It glowed a bright orange, much more bright than Josephine had ever seen it before.

"I wonder why the sun is glowing so strongly tonight?" As she said this, Josephine glanced a look upward. What she saw horrified her. The moon was in the middle of the sky, far too high up for the sun to still be setting. She looked back at the bright light, and noticed small licks of flame shooting up from the town area. "The town is on fire!"

Josephine looked outward and noticed a group of soldiers coming towards the shacks of the guards. Among them were many prisoners, old, young, big, and small. Women grasped their children as they were shoved forward. Josephine stared on in horror as a certain person came into view. Randall was among them, battered and bruised, barely holding on to his life. He had cuts form numerous places, one very predominant covering his entire cheek. As the footsteps grew louder, Link started to cry. The noise had awoken him, and he always threw temper tantrums if he was awoken.

One of the soldiers must have heard the noise, for he motioned for one of the lower ranked minions to go search their home. Josephine panicked, and ran for where Randall kept the sword, young Link crying the whole way. She found the place, and took the sword out of its scabbard. She grabbed a bundle to wrap Link in, and then hurriedly ran out the back door. As she escaped backwards, she heard the soldier bust the door down.

"I think there's someone in here!" he screamed back toward the other soldiers.

"No, you fiend, leave that place be!" Randall said. "Please, do what you will to me, but harm not my wife or child, you--" he never got a chance to finish the sentence. The guard sent his head flying with a single swipe of his sword. The body crumpled to the ground, blood pouring out of his head. Josephine would never know what had happened to him though. She hadn't stopped running, but she chanced one glance back. She noticed the man who had alerted the other guards was chasing her now, pulling out a bow as he did so.

The wall and gates finally came into sight. She headed for the open wall, no man standing guard over it. As she approached the gateway, she felt a sharp sting of pain in her back. She felt warm blood start to run down the expanse of her back, pooling in a small puddle where her dress was pinned onto her. She did not quit running as all she could think of was getting her child to safety. If she wasn't going to make it then at least he would. Again she felt a sharp pain, this time in her lower back. She slowed this time --the pain becoming immense--still cradling the boy in her arms.

"Stop, woman, lest I fire another bolt at you!" she refused to stop, but instead quickened her pace, not wishing to know what they would do if they captured either her or her son. She did not want to bear any of their children, and she most definitely did not want to see her son sold into slavery. Once more she felt a sharp pain, this time in the middle of her back. She fell to her knees this time, losing her grip on her small child. He went flying from her arms and skidded across the pavement. He let out a horrible cry of pain, one Josephine could not stand. It gave her the strength to rise once more to her feet, although she did so slowly, the pain of her wounds now enveloping most of her thoughts.

"Let her go, Boris," one of the other soldiers called. "She's not going to last much longer as it is."

"Fine, Fine. Though she would have made a mighty fine prize for the new king." She heard the footsteps of the soldier named Boris and his companion drifting away. She crawled over to her child, and picked him up.

"I shall not die yet, little one." she said to herself. "I'll find somewhere for you, my love...somewhere in safe seclusion, away from the world...." She rose to her feet and headed off in the direction of the Lost Woods. Not much was known about them, but she did know that a great and powerful race--referred to as the forest guardians, or the Kokori--were located somewhere inside.

The journey was long, and Josephine collapsed from exhaustion more than once. She always got up though. She did not wish to linger in one spot for too long. Packs of Wolfos were said to roam the plains at night, along with walking skeletons that were human looking but were said to have the hearts of monsters. As dawn began to break, she noticed she was finally coming to the edge of the plains, and the vast forest of the legendary Kokori was coming into sight. She found a small overhang of great behemoth trees guarding an entrance to the Lost Woods. The place was forbidden, but it was her last chance to save her son. Even now she felt her strength leaving her.

Once inside of the woods, she found herself on a small wooden bridge. She tried to take a step, but found she could not. She had nothing left. A mother's will had carried her this far, she would have to leave the rest up to the goddesses. She crawled to a sturdy section of the bridge and cradled young Link in her arms.

"Hush my sweet one, fear not. Even if I must go, the Goddesses shall always shine well upon you, my beautiful boy." Tears began to fall from her face. She was going to miss her son grow up, that is if he survived this whole ordeal. She would never know the joys of seeing him accomplish things, the sorrow of having to punish him, the warmth of his smile, the rush of his love. He was going to be lost to her, and it wasn't her or her husband's fault. This tortured world had unleashed vengeance upon the wrong people. She had always lived a good and just life, or at least thought she had. Maybe the goddesses' plans still held something for her.

Suddenly she heard the whisper of a whistle. It was a peppy tune, one that seemed to fill her soul with happiness. It caused her to try to move again, wishing to start dancing to the music, but the pain that covered her body was complete. She was numb all over. The sound of the song continued to grow until a small girl, with a fairy floating behind her, came into view. The girl had green hair with blue eyes. Her hair went together flawlessly with her outfit, a green tunic and skirt, with green tights. The only thing that wasn't green on her was her fair complexion. She was a wondrous sight to behold, and seemed so happy. When she caught a look of Josephine however, her joy subsided, and her tune stopped.

"What happened?" the girl asked, rushing to Josephine's side.

"Rebels attacked Hyrule…we didn't stand a chance…shot me…in the back." Every word seemed to drain more and more of Josephine's strength.

"Hush, don't try to speak. Your wounds are grave and you've come a long way... How did you manage to make it this far?" The girl noticed the three arrows still protruding out of her back.

"You must take care of Link…" Josephine said, completely disregarding what the girl had just said. "You must. He has…some sort of future…otherwise…the goddesses…would not have…sent you…to me." The girl gave her a blank stare. She had traveled this path everyday--it wasn't as though this was fate. She wasn't going to tell this to the woman though. She didn't wish to take away the one comfort she had left. She wasn't much longer for this world. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Saria. My name is Saria, of the Kokori." Saria stared deeply into the woman's eyes, then at the bundle she carried. She folded back the top of the blanket that wrapped around it, and looked at the child for the first time. He was a beautiful baby, with deep blue eyes that made you feel as though you were staring into eternity.

"Please promise me you will take are of him…" Josephine was desperate, and this girl seemed to be more than she appeared. "Give him a home, and in time I'm sure he will repay you somehow…"

"I will. I shall raise him as though he were a Kokori." Saria clasped her hands together with the woman's, and noticed a small smile cross the woman's lips. Mixed with her tears, she looked like such a helpless creature. But Saria saw past it, into the inner beauty of this woman's soul, the strength that she possessed that was also present in her child's eyes. She would take the boy to the Deku Tree, and see what he willed.

"Thank y…ou…" the woman took in one final breath, and then coughed up a bit of blood before closing her eyes for all eternity. Saria picked up the boy, tears beginning to fall down her face. The boy looked at her and laughed. Saria let out a small smile, and then ran back to her village; the hopes of keeping this boy and burying this woman taking over her thoughts.

_fin

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Second note: Well, the experiment seems to be coming together at last. Thanks to Canihavea-soda who checked all of my old english, and really made this story flow that much better. I'm considering turning this into a chapter fic, so let me know what you think. I think this is pretty good as a oneshot, but it could do good as a Chapter fic as well. Review and let me know.


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